CoolBrands 2015: Apple crowned the king of cool as Google slips

Apple has retained pole position for the fourth year in a row in a ranking of companies' brand appeal, according to pollsters CoolBrands.

 

Its tech rival Google, however, dropped out of the top 10 altogether, slipping to 12th from sixth in 2014.

 

Despite an improving economy, luxury brands did not manage to maintain their popularity, with Dom Perignon, Rolex and Stella McCartney all falling out of the top 20.

 

Web-based firms – Instagram and Netflix – continued to climb the charts, highlighting a trend towards social media and on-demand services.

 

Both Facebook and Twitter failed to breach the top 20 however.

 

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Council, said: "Attaining Top 20 CoolBrands status takes time. Young brands, however, like Netflix and Instagram, are showing clear momentum.

 

"How long Apple hangs on to pole is hard to predict, but as the initial excitement around new products dies down, evaluation on how pioneering these are could be telling," he added.

 

London was the only city to get any locations in the top 20, with new entries for iconic arts venue Royal Albert Hall, Kensington's Whole Foods Market and Shoreditch's ACE Hotel, in addition to retained top 20 spots for West End institution Liberty and fashion brand Alexander McQueen.

 

CoolBrands polled 2,500 people around Britain.